Johnson, Francois facing off before joining forces

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- De'Andre Johnson and Deondre Francois will have to share the field eventually. But for this week at least, Florida State's two quarterback commitments in the class of 2015 were still separated.

Johnson, the nation's No. 11 quarterback, lined up with Team Armour at practice for the UnderArmour High School All-America. Francois, the nation's No. 7 quarterback, was a handful of hashmarks away, playing for Team Highlight. A third quarterback commit, Kai Locksley, lined up at wide receiver for Francois' team.

Three quarterback commits for a single school in one all-star game isn't just unusual: It's unheard of.

"I've never seen it," Rivals recruiting analyst Mike Farrell said. "I've seen two, but I've never seen three."

Soon enough, they'll be in Tallahassee. They'll be sharing more than a practice field there. They'll have to share a meeting room, teammates, and practice reps. How things work out after that remains to be seen.

"With those two, I'm not really close," Francois said. "I try to be close with them but I don't think those two guys like me yet. They don't really know me. But I like those guys. They're good players. When I see those guys throw, I learn from them. I don't think they like me too much right now, but that's just how competition is. Hopefully we'll get a good relationship when we all get there and just have a good time."

Francois said he's closest to players like Jacques Patrick and George Campbell in this class. Johnson said he's closest to players like Derwin James and Da'Vante Phillips, and FSU target Jeffery Holland.

The relationship between Johnson and Francois drew attention last summer, when comments from Johnson indicated some friction. Johnson said on Monday he and Francois do talk, but mainly about on-field subjects.

"I guess we're just quarterbacks," Johnson said of his relationship with Francois on Monday. "It's just quarterback talk. That's pretty much it."

Quarterbacks, of course, can be competitive. Comments like Johnson's stir up plenty of attention, but it can be part of the process for young players as they try to establish themselves.

"They're competitive with each other," Farrell said. "Obviously there were a couple articles written. Johnson says stuff and it's just stuff. There's no intention behind it ... I think it wouldn't surprise me at all if those guys ended up being roommates and pushed each other through the whole process."

There are cases of highly-ranked quarterbacks entering a school in the same class and the situation working out well for both. Georgia signed Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray in 2009, and both ended up in the NFL after Mettenberger finished his career at LSU.

Farrell said Francois and Johnson were the best and second-best quarterbacks as practice began on Monday. Francois' arm and physical tools helped him make throws, while Johnson played well at times but also struggled when the pocket collapsed. Both are four-star players, and FSU's highest ranked quarterbacks since Jameis Winston signed in 2012.

"I thought I did very well," Johnson said. "I spun the ball really well, grasped the playbook in a matter of minutes. Now it's just a matter of getting used to the coaching style."

Francois' only touchdown pass of the day was actually thrown up the middle to Locksley, who made the move to receiver for this game but expects to get a chance at quarterback at Florida State. Francois and Johnson didn't get to see how the other performed during the day, but they'll get to face off later in Friday's game.

But the outcome of that game won't have much bearing going forward. All the talk about their play will be finished on Florida State's practice fields.

"I think in this case, there's going to be a real competition like with any quarterback situation," Farrell said. "If there was one of these two guys that was passive, they wouldn't be successful. If they just said 'OK, he won the starting job, congratulations to him,' that doesn't work. You have to support him, but you also have to push and say 'Listen, I'm going to show you that I belong.' I think both of these guys have that mentality."

They also have the same chance, both this week and at Florida State. They're still separated now, but they'll be facing off together soon.

"We're all going to the same school," Francois said. "So eventually, we're going to have to be brothers."